What if I said I liked you
by wow.fanfic
Summary: Alternate Universe fic for Kate/Juliet of Lost. In Seattle what might have been their normal live if they never had the whole mysterious island experience. Slight tie in's to Grey's Anatomy's Arizona/Callie. Angsty romance that ends with you blushing, ; .


**Title: What if I said I liked you…**

**Scribbler: wow fan fic or becky if the stupid pen name doesn't show up once again**

**Fandoms: Lost and Grey's Anatomy**

**Pairings: Kate Austen/Juliet Burke with a hint of Calliope Torres/Arizona Robbins**

**Disclaimers: Though it would be truly wonderful if I could lay claim to either of these shows or any of the brilliant characters, alas all I got is the nerve to borrow and probably abuse them. **

**Warnings: Well femslash of course but you probably already figured that out. Also there will be some miserable scenes of domestic abuse and quite a bit of angst. Sexy times with the girl on girl for later chapters. **

**A/N #1: This chapter should probably be in the T category, but I started out like that before and ended up with comments of "too smutty" when it got all hot and sweaty, so I thought this might be a safer approach.**

**A/N # 2: This is an AU fic crossover between the two shows where the characters of Juliet and Kate lived a pretty normal, although still challenging and never dull, lives without ever encountering the island.**

**A/N # 3: All of the credit for this idea goes to a very specific and amazing prompt from a super modest anonymous donor that does not want to be named. But I would like to personally thank her on behalf of anyone who likes this. **

Kate sat at the bar at Joe's slowly sipping her drink and nervously tapping her foot as she once again, for perhaps the tenth time in so many minutes, wondered how she had allowed herself to again be roped into this particularly horrifying form of hell on earth. It seemed every once in a great while she allowed herself to become adequately inebriated or just generally lose her grip on reality enough to even consider that this might be a good idea. Usually she only had herself or Arizona to blame. However this time she had to give her best friend's lover, Calliope Torres credit for her current predicament. She had been fully prepared to laugh Arizona's suggestion off and Callie was in full agreement that going out with someone you had never met on someone else's say so was just ridiculous.

As Kate and Callie had laughed off the idea though, the beautiful buxom Latina that Kate had come to love as her good friends decided soul mate had admitted that the woman Arizona was suggesting that Kate might like was in fact amazing. It also didn't hurt when Calliope had added that "Hannah Dagnan fue una mujer increiblemente sexy." It was moments like that when Kate completely understood her best friends over the top lust for the hot Spanish woman, that accent, she could have been talking about chicken pot pie and it still would have sounded hella sensuous.

When would she learn? These things never worked out. Well except for that one time…when she had met Emily on a blind date arranged by the pediatrician when they were still in college together in Iowa. Kate's nerves and dread over meeting someone new were suddenly forgotten, replaced by the familiar empty ache in her chest she still got when she thought about her…

That time was actually part of the problem. The one and only time she had ever had a good experience with a blind date had been a fix up from Arizona Robbins. Arizona was her best friend and knew her better than anyone, hence knowing almost right away that she and Emily were meant to be together. When Emily died it had honestly nearly been the end of Kate Austin and she knew herself well enough to realize that her lover could never be replaced. But due to the fact that her friend had had single handedly put her together with Em, the one and only love of her life, she once in a while gave in to the pediatricians seeming need to help her move on. Or at least try to distract her from the haunting thoughts of the woman she knew was the only person she would ever be able to truly love.

She wrestled with herself to not give in to the heartbreak of her loss, knowing from bitter experience that she was always just that close to falling into the intense depression that had once driven her to literally the edge of surrender. Kate Austen had always been a fighter, and knew it went against her nature to give up. Even so, when Emily was violently ripped from her life she had seriously toyed with the idea of simply giving up.

Now she was sitting here waiting and indescribably anxious to see who Arizona and Callie had decided she needed to make her life complete. Having agreed to a trade with a fellow nurse who needed to leave early next Thursday she had an extra hour to prepare for her date. Taking full advantage of the time she had run home to take a shower, wash and dry her hair, and even apply a layer of lipstick and mascara. Normally she had no use for makeup, but this seemed to be the right time to wear it, if indeed there was ever an occasion for such things. Although she couldn't say it did much for her confidence when she felt a little apprehensive at meeting a new person that might amount to something more than a silly one night stand, which was the only thing she was normally up for these days, she knew Arizona and Callie would scowl at her for the lack of effort.

She had also changed her outfit twice before settling back on the original loose fitting worn jeans, wide belt and green silk shirt she was told complimented her eyes. Finishing off the look with black boots that had a two inch heel to make up for her height disability, (as her cousins used to tease her about) and being wrapped in her favorite leather jacket she now sat there thinking herself a bit childish for worrying so much about her appearance and the approval of said outfit by a total stranger.

Even having used the extra hour to go home and prepare she still found that she was twenty five minutes early for the allotted meeting time and so spent her extra time people watching. She saw many familiar faces from the hospital but none caught her attention like one Dr. Juliet Burke. She had not had many occasions to work with the other woman, as the mysterious blonde was generally more involved in the research department of medicine. But she remembered the one time she had been in the OR when the doctor delivered the twins of the cancer patient she had been treating. The woman, who really had no business giving birth in the first place, had displayed such a look of utter trust and almost reverence in her appreciation of the doctor that it had really caught Kate's attention. After all if not for Dr. Burke she would never have had the opportunity to have children at all and that gratitude was glaringly obvious when Kate had placed her son and then her daughter into her trembling arms.

The taller woman sat at a table in the corner looking more than a little jumpy. She was really quite pretty, and if Kate recalled correctly, very soft spoken and kind. When the brunette saw the older man approach and join her at the table she felt her hackles unexplainably rising. Something about the way they reacted to one another made Kate's chest tighten with an unnervingly familiar discomfort. The beautiful blonde doctors entire body tensed noticeably when he sat and put a possessive hand over hers, none too gently.

If the table wasn't so close to the place she sat at in the back of the bar she was sure she wouldn't have heard the man's hushed words. "And how is my little wallflower doing?"

"I want to go home Edmund." the quiet plea in her voice made Kate physically flinch. She had heard that tone too many times before when her mother was tired of Wayne's games.

"Really, I can't think of anything less enticing than going back there and being trapped with only you for entertainment." The man responded the snide sarcasm dripping from his words made Kate want to get off of her stool, walk over and smack him upside the head.

"I could go on ahead and maybe make you something to eat…" The doctor said softly, clearly trying to get out of her current surroundings at any cost.

Kate watched out of the corner of her eye as the man smirked. "No." he said simply but firmly "I think I would rather you stay here where I can keep an eye on you."

The menacing tone in his voice and resigned expression on her co-workers face was rapidly bringing her already insecure and tense mood to a head when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Kate?" Startled she realized she was hearing her name for the second time. Spinning her head around she was surprised to find herself face to face with a stunningly beautiful woman who wore a look of uncertainty that seemed completely out of place on those gorgeous features. "Kate Austen?"

Kate inhaled sharply trying to force herself to focus on anything but how flighty and unfocused she currently felt. "Hannah?"

The other woman laughed tightly with some amount of relief. "Yes. Sorry I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"No," She hated herself for the apologetic twinge in the other woman's voice that she felt responsible for. Her friends had said nothing about the mystery woman's Australian accent which made her heart flutter a little more than she cared to admit. "Don't be-I'm…I should be apologizing. I guess I just kind of got lost in space."

"It's alright," The woman grinned a little shyly her eyes a little wide until she realized she was staring, obviously fighting to maintain her own composure she tried to explain, "Arizona said you were ah-well attractive…but you know how this goes, really I wasn't expecting…?"

"What?" Kate could hardly stop herself from speaking.

"Nothing," The blonde with eyes the color of emeralds shook her head absently lowering her gaze a little embarrassed, "I just-"The woman forced her head up once again to meet her date's eyes. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"No," Kate grinned reassuringly at her apparent discomfort, "Let me…what'll ya have?"

The other woman demurred to the blind date she was equally freaked about having. "Uhmmm…a vodka tonic would be great."

Kate almost leapt off her stool, pulling the one next to her out a bit before using her hand to signal Joe's attention. "Here, sit, please."

"Thanks." The other woman said softly as she accepted the seat completely caught up with her examination of the woman Arizona and Calliope had been unable to stop going on and on about. Now she could totally see why. Kate Austen was not merely beautiful but considerate and not just a little charming. "Ahhh…I guess whatever you're having."

Kate smiled widely at her favorite bartender who was perfectly aware of the situation as she placed the order for two more. The evening all of a sudden seemed to be looking up.

TBC

**This would be the part where I beg for reviews or comments…as usual all feedback, good or other is much appreciated, even if you're not feeling especially talkative and just wanna give me a smiley face or frown so I know someone read it. Thank you so much ladies and gentlemen.**


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